dc.contributor.author |
Hurst, Andrea
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2009-07-03T07:25:44Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2009-07-03T07:25:44Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2007 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
It is a commonplace among philosophers that we actualize our humanity most fully by “living a creative
life,” and that creativity is the response to desire or passion. In this article, I argue that Plato’s
“cave allegory,” important limitations notwithstanding, provides the paradigm for a philosophical understanding
of what this means, and by extension, how this call to be passionately is a call to live
life as a work of truth-telling techné (art). To demonstrate that Plato’s characterization of passionate
living remains viable as a structure for understanding the artist’s task, despite his notorious dismissal
of certain forms of art, I consider how Heidegger confirms and updates it via his more contemporary
existential analyses of “everydayness” and “anxiety” in Being and Time. Importantly, however, Plato’s
conception of the “truth” that we ardently seek, and desire to share through truth-telling techné,
is open to challenge. One may justifiably disagree with his articulation of “truth” and transcendent
beauty on grounds of the shift from transcendence to immanence in ontology, and the correlative shift
from economy to complexity in understanding “truth.” This is where the notions of “the beautiful,”
“the ugly,” and “the sublime” come into play. It is disagreements concerning the nature of the ultimate
object of human passion that fuel disagreements concerning the truth to be told in truth-telling techné
and, arguably, the kind of techné most suited to this task. Yet there is widespread agreement concerning
the perspicacity of Plato’s distinction between “truth-telling” techné and the mere imitation of
what already exists. This distinction is used here to round out the above account of what it means to
live a creative life by contrasting such a life with its opposite, which one may call “kitsch.” |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
HARTSTOGTELIKE LEWE EN WAARHEIDSGEORIENTEERDE techné.
Filosowe aanvaar geredelik dat mense hul menslikheid optimaal aktualiseer deur ’n “kreatiewe lewe
te lei,” en dat kreatiwiteit die antwoord is op begeerte of passie. In hierdie artikel argumenteer ek dat
Plato se “grot-allegorie,” in weerwil van belangrike beperkinge, die paradigma voorsien vir ’n filosofiese
verstaan van bogenoemde stellung, en verder verduidelik in watter sin hierdie oproep om hartstogtelik
te wees, neerkom op ’n uitnodiging om ’n mens se lewe as ’n waarheidsgeoriënteerde techné
(kunswerk) te leef. Ten einde te demonstreer dat Plato se karakteriseering van hartstogtelike lewe, ten
spyte van sy berugte verwerping van sekere kunsvorms, geskik is as ’n struktuur om die kunstenaar se
taak te begryp, word aangetoon hoe Heidegger dit bevestig en opdateer aan die hand van sy meer tydgenoodlike,
eksistensiële analises van “alledaagsheid” en “angs” in Sein und Zeit. Dit is egter belangrik
om daarop te let dat Plato se opvatting van die “waarheid” wat ons so naarstiglik soek, en begeer om
via waarheidsgeoriënteerde techné in te deel, aanvegbaar is. ’n Mens kan tereg van hom verskil ten
opsigte van sy formulering van “waarheid” en transendente skoonheid op grond van die ontologiese
verskuiwing vanaf transendensie na immanensie, asook die korrelatiewe verskuiwing van ekonomie
na kompleksiteit in die begrip van waarheid. Dit is hier waar die begrippe van “die skone,” “die lelike,”
en die “sublieme” op die spel geplaas word. Meningsverskille ten opsigte van die waarheid wat
betrokke is by waarheidsgeoriënteerde techné – die geskikste soort techné vir die taak van waarheidsbevordering
– word gevoed deur meningsverskille oor die aard van die hoogste voorwerp van menslike
passie. En tog is daar breë instemming oor die skerpsinnigheid van Plato se onderskeid tussen
waarheidsgeoriënteerde techné, en die blote nabootsing van wat reeds bestaan. Genoemde onderskeid
word hier benut om bogenoemde weergawe van die betekenis van ’n kreatiewe lewe af to rond deur ’n
sodanige lewe met die teendeel daarvan, wat as “kitsch” beskryf kan word, te kontrasteer |
en_US |
dc.identifier.citation |
Hurst, A 2007, 'Passionate living and truth-telling techné', South African Journal of Art History, vol. 22, no 3, pp 30-45. [http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_sajah.html] |
en_US |
dc.identifier.issn |
0258-3542 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/10636 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
Art Historical Work Group of South Africa |
en_US |
dc.rights |
Art Historical Work Group of South Africa |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Imitation |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Kitsch |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Passion |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Cave allegory |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Truth-telling techné |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Heidegger, Martin, 1889-1976 |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Plato |
en_US |
dc.title |
Passionate living and truth-telling techné |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |